


Sharing

by whoovestrings



Category: X-Ray & Vav (Cartoon)
Genre: Based on a tumblr post but I lost it ages ago, M/M, There's hildash too but I don't want to put it in the tag because it's not much, it's the closest to sad I could write, kinda hurt/comfort I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:58:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7082401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoovestrings/pseuds/whoovestrings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This apartment block won't let us share rent unless we're dating, so we should pretend to be boyfriends because we actually love this place"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sharing

This place was perfect. It was right in the middle of Achievement City, on the 3rd floor so Vav could have his veiw and X-Ray didn't have to travel that far to go get food. It had the space they needed, and was still quite compact. The design was modern and Vav especially liked that, and although the walls weren't quite the best colour, that could easily be fixed. The best thing, though, was that it was in their price range, if they split the rent between the two of them.

"You think there's enough room for two beds here, Vav?" X-Ray called. Looking at the space where the double bed currently sat.

"Yeah, absolutely," Vav said, poking his head around the wall, "Not there of course, but you could put a single there and a single down there." He pointed to where he was just standing. The old, worn-out couch wouldn't be needed, it would be just as easy to play video games from a bed.

"Or we could put two singles going sideways here," X-ray said, "or would they even fit... Yeah, probably not. If not, we'll go with your idea."

When they stepped outside, the owner of the apartment blocks, a guy named Vic, was waiting for them, and they took the lift down to the ground floor. Vic sat behind the counter and started looking for papers in various drawers.

"So, you want to rent out... Number 23 right?" He said, and Vav nodded. X-Ray could tell that, already, he was thinking about living there, and X-Ray had to admit, it would be nice to live with Vav.

 _calm down, dude._ he caught himself thinking, _He likes the house, and anyway, what would it mean to him that we live together, we practically do anyway_ but the thought of waking up every day and being greeted by Vav making tea, because X-Ray knew from various sleepovers over the years that Vav woke up early, and made tea before doing anything else. It was a routine at this point. Vav's hair would be all messy because he hadn't gotten around to brushing it, and maybe he'd stay like that all day, taking a day off from being a superhero to just relax and play video games and be with each other.

Yeah, that'd be great.

"Who's name should I put this down to then?" Vic asked, looking expectantly between the two of them.

"Oh, we were thinking of splitting the rent," Vav said.

"Sorry, dude, you're out of luck," Vic shrugged, "we don't do shares, that's not how we work around here,"

"What?" X-Ray asked, as his was brought out of his daydreams by the news. "But you have to- but this place- but it's..." He turned to Vav, who had his thinking face on. X-Ray knew that whatever Vav was about to say would either work completely, or be flat-out ridiculous.

Suddenly, X-Ray felt Vav's hand in his, and he had to control himself to stop from blushing. Vav had a very convincing sad face. He wasn't really sad, X-Ray could tell. Vav didn't get slightly sad, he got more and more angry at the situation until he cracked, and then he got sad.

"Well, I guess we'll look somewhere else, love" Vav said, only adding to X-Ray's confusion. Vav never called him "love". He'd call acquaintances "love" not friends. He didn't get what Vav was going for until-

"Oh!" Vic exclaimed "so, so, sorry dude. I didn't know you were together. I must seem like an asshole, I just, you don't really act like a couple, so I just thought..."

His words turned into background noise, as Vav filled out forms, and X-Ray glowed with pride at Vav's plan. Of course they would let couples stay together, Vav was a genius.

When Vav had finished filling out the forms, he took X-Ray's hand back in his, and smiled at him with such innocent joy that X-Ray warmed inside.

"Well, it seems we've got out new base of operations, right X-Ray?" Vav asked, and Vic seemed surprised at the new information.

"It seems we do, Vav," X-Ray replied, bringing the hand that wasn't already in Vav's up for a fist bump.

"Wait a second," Vic said, "you two are X-Ray and Vav?"

"The ones and only," X-Ray bragged. Vic nodded thoughtfully, and when they left, they could see him reach for a phone.

\-----

"So," Ash said, when she and Hilda came around to visit the superheroes' new home "we've got a new celebrity relationship on our hands"

"You know it's not like that, Ash" Vav said, and X-Ray exaggerated rolling his eyes, pretending that he didn't want that statement to be false more than anything in the world .

"I don't know," Hilda shrugged, "you two seem to act like a couple all the time. It actually surprised me when you stared falling for Ash."

"Why?" X-Ray laughed "because he had a crush on your girlfriend?"

"No, because I didn't think he even liked girls."

"Excuse you." Vav pouted, "I am 100% straight!" He got a Look from everyone in the room. "Okay, like 70%." the Look didn't stop. "30% at the most?"

X-Ray looked away from Vav, and instead tried looking through the cupboards for something to eat.

"You do know you have to keep this up, right?" Hilda asked, "This is a thing now. The press will want details on your relationship, you'll be expected to show that you're a couple. A simple "we're private people" isn't going to suffice, I mean, you had the break up of a century in full public view."

"Eh, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Vav shrugged, "it won't be difficult to tell people to mind their own business and hold hands a bit."

The thought of just that was enough to set X-Ray off into daydreams. They'd completed a great mission, justice had been served and evil was thwarted. They were taking the bus home, as always, and, tired from all the action, Vav had his head on X-Ray's shoulder. Their hands were lazily intertwined. Maybe someone would look at them funny, but X-Ray would light up his glasses and whoever it was would look away, scared of being vaporised.

He saw Hilda out of the corner of his eye. She had a sympathetic smile, and he knew he really should have chosen someone else to entrust his secret to.

\-----

"Hilda, I'm fucked." X-Ray had called her the second Vav went out to get groceries. It was the first time they had stayed overnight in the apartment, X-Ray sleeping on the couch, and Vav in the bed.

"Wow, one night together and you're already in his pants? Why'd you need my help?" Hilda replied. X-Ray did not find that funny at all.

"Oh ha ha." He said, "You know not like that"

"What is it then?" X-Ray couldn't be sure, but was that concern in Hilda's voice?

"Sorry for this," X-Ray apologised, "but Vav's _hot,_ H. I don't know what to do."

"Just imagine him in his underwear," Hilda laughed, and X-Ray couldn't help but smile at the stupid reference, but then accidentally did what she said. Vav didn't have the best looking body, not for a long way, but he had muscle enough from crimefighting exercise. X-Ray knew Hilda couldn't see him, but he still turned his face away to try and hide his blush.

"Why do you hurt me in these ways?" He asked, and Hilda laughed again, but there was no malice to it.

"Just keep going," Hilda reassured, "Either he feels the same or he doesn't. Wither way, you're living with him, and you have an excuse for casual pda, so just enjoy what you can."

\-----

It wasn't X-Ray's fault, he promised. It was heat of the moment, he was still running on adrenaline, Vav was holding his hand above his head in victory, and X-Ray wasn't thinking straight.

He kissed him.

In the middle of a crowd, news reporters meters away, he had kissed him. Not even on the cheek or the forehead or anything minor, no, it was on the lips. X-Ray would partially blame that Vav had really last minute turned his head, but partially, he didn't blame anything, he thanked whatever gods that were listening that Vav saw it as part of the act.

"Play it up for the cameras, right?" X-Ray whispered, and Vav did seem to take his advice, as there was suddenly a hand on his back and X-Ray was being dramatically dipped. The flash of cameras made him know that this would be all over the local newspapers, maybe even make it on tv if they were lucky.

After they had run away, X-Ray wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, rolling his eyes and making a "bleh" noise, which made Vav laugh.

"Am I really that bad a kisser?" He asked, faux insulted, and X-Ray waved a hand at him.

"Nah, man, you're great, you're my best friend is all. Like, jeez, calm down, I liked that."

X-Ray realised what he had said, and flushed red, averting his gaze away from Vav.

\-----

It did end up on the news.

The superhero duo were sitting on X-Ray's bed, watching The Know, the local news channel. The story switched from the great strides Monarch Labs were making now that they had a ceo that was trained to be a ceo, and not a scientist, to the daring exploits of X-Ray and Vav.

"Talking of the scientific masters of the city," the reporter said, "X-Ray and Vav, the two caped crusaders of this city, took down yet again another major threat. The gang calling themselves "The Creatures" have been caught and taken to jail." The reporter's tone suddenly shifted to a far more light hearted one, "and after successfully taking them down, the two confirmed the rumours that they are, in fact dating." The footage cut to the kiss, and X-Ray tried to hide his face because, _God_ he was not being subtle. Vav laughed when it replayed the dip, and mentioned something about it being "way too over the top". X-Ray had to admit that it was so obviously for publicity, but then again, when was anything they did not for publicity?

"Hey." Vav nudged X-Ray, indicating at his phone, "check Twitter, see if we're trending yet."

"We're not going to be trending, dude," X-Ray said, "no one knows our shipping name."

"I'm sure there's a ship name for us already," Vav pointed out, but X-Ray wasn't having any of it.

"Nah, man, we need an official ship name," he said, thinking it over for a maximum of five seconds, "okay, from this day forth, we are vavay,"

 **@official_xray:** shippers delight. It's canon now #vavay

\-----

This was getting ridiculous. It has been a full week, and they had not stopped being pestered by the public for their "relationship" there were the people who were supportive, and they had good intentions, but there was just too many of them. The ones who were less than thrilled at their relationship were worse though. Mothers had been quickly taking their kids away from the two of them, as if they were contagious. People had rolled their eyes on the bus, and someone had even had a go at them when they were at a cafe, getting lunch.

X-Ray couldn't stand it. This was all going to shit. He was getting all this shit from everyone, and he wasn't even getting much on the positive side, as every chaste kiss, every smile and gaze from Vav was fake, and didn't mean anything. He was going to call it off. They could stage a break up, sure, the apartment was nice, but this wasn't worth it. There were tons of places that they hadn't checked yet. One of them would offer shares for non couples.

But no, Vav had really liked this place. He was doing this for him, right? X-Ray should just get over himself and learn to deal with it. Vav was probably in a worse place, anyway. X-Ray was probably a horrible kisser, and he was probably uncomfortable every time they did anything affectionate. They had never been affectionate, and it was horrible for him.

And anyway, wasn't Vav eyeing up Mogar when they had come round to help with some missions? X-Ray couldn't blame him, the dude was hot. It probably didn't help that they were permanently shirtless and had abs you could iron laundry on.

The vigilante in question had just left the apartment, which now had a significant amount of face paint on one of the chairs, when X-Ray felt a hand in his. By now, he had accepted this as normal, but they were still in the apartment, no one could see them? Had Vav forgot?

"Vav, I really don't think you have to do that," X-Ray said, "anyway, I'm going to using that hand in a few seconds. This game can only be paused for so long.

"But you like it though" Vav said, and X-Ray turned to him in confusion. What did he mean? Did he know? Well, better answer honestly, and if Vav didn't like the answer, pretend he misunderstood the question.

"Yeah, I guess I do" X-Ray said, before his mind blanked out as Vav's lips pressed against his. There was a few seconds of normality, before X-Ray pulled away, shocked. He regretted it immediately. Vav looked terrified.

"Wait-" Vav stuttered "I'm so sorry, you misunderstood, i just thought that you said that you liked the hand holding, and that's not in any way the same as kissing, I should just stop, I don-"

He was cut off by X-Ray, who grabbed his collar, and pulled him back for another kiss. It was more gentle this time, with X-Ray taking the time to get comfortable, shifting around and placing a hand on Vav's hip, using the other one to angle his head better. After a few moments, Vav pulled away, seeming to absolutely glow.

"I assume you liked that?" Vav laughed, and X-Ray laughed alongside him, pressing a gentle kiss on Vav's nose. Vav seemed to gain more confidence at that, running a trail of kisses along X-Ray's neck, and placing his hand on X-Ray's stomach, making X-Ray shiver.

"Dude, your hands are cold," he said, but didn't complain as he was pushed back against the bed, and definitely didn't complain about anything that came after that.

**Author's Note:**

> It's 2am as I upload this, so there's probably punctuation errors everywhere, and I'm just hoping that the html works.
> 
> Also, shoutout to my friend Bon for "vavay", and generally making me want to write this pairing more in general


End file.
